Censorship can come in official and unofficial forms. Most governments do not want to openly act against a free press, and various forms of informal and unofficial forms of intimidation and violence operate in the stead of a public policy. These issues are obviously at work in areas where abduction and execution of journalists occurs. The behavior of journalists as a result of these forms of intimidation – especially the proliferation of self-censorship – becomes a matter of major concern in assessing the news that comes from such regions. At the same time, we need to understand the cultural elements that justify the violence and intimidation of journalists, the concerns for honor, face, image, that make the violent suppression of embarrassing or damaging information legitimate.